In a Washington Post op-ed published Friday morning, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) pleaded with his fellow Republicans to stop supporting anti-gay religious freedom laws such as the one recently passed in Indiana.
“As an American, I’m incredibly concerned about what happened in Indiana this week and the threat of similar laws being passed in other states,” he wrote. “As a Republican, I’m furious.”
“Distracting, divisive laws like the one Indiana passed aren’t just bad for the country, they’re also bad for our party,” he wrote.
He said that Republicans who pursue “the politics of division” and “laws that fly in the face of equality and freedom” would cost the party critical support from young voters and economic conservatives.
Noting that corporations such as Wal-Mart have distanced themselves from the laws, Schwarzenegger said: “Those businesses are doing the right thing, but they have also done the math.”
“As a party, we need to take a similarly realistic look,” he said.
